During his annual performance review by the board, Halpin also received kudos for his handling of a host of unforeseen circumstances, ranging from the building closures at the library and the Danforth to strife at the police department and the town’s potential purchase of Millwood Golf Course.

“I was very pleased to see how well your team was willing to pitch in and step up to the plate,” Tully Stoll said.

Selectmen gave the town manager high marks in his final job review, assigning Halpin average scores between ‘4’ and ‘5’ in nearly every category on a five-point scale.

Some of his strongest feedback came in the area of leadership and professional capability, which assesses skills such as problem solving and demonstrating self-confidence. He received a perfect score of ‘5’ in the area of public speaking, and a 4.8 on keeping informed of pertinent aspects of municipal government.

“The Town continues to benefit from Bob’s strong leadership skills and command over all issues and departments,” reads a summary of the board’s comments.

Halpin’s scores dipped below ‘4’ in only a handful of the 40 review categories. Among their suggestions, board members encouraged Halpin to solicit feedback from citizens more frequently, study diversity within the town’s staff and explore more professional development for employees.

Board members also assigned a score of 3.4 in the area seeking and accepting constructive criticism, but were satisfied with his communication skills overall.

“Bob is easy to work with and always available,” selectmen wrote. “He continues to provide (clear) direction to the Board as a whole and members individually. He has proven himself over and over as a true asset to the Town.”

The former president of the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, Halpin signed a three-year deal to take over the town manager position in 2012.

Halpin’s background includes experience in municipal management and economic development. He previously served as town manager in Westford and North Andover, and also headed up the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council.

Selectmen voted in 2015 to renew Halpin’s contract for another three years and grant him a 3 percent raise. Halpin received a bump in salary at the time from $182,174 to $187,639.

Selectmen gave Halpin strong marks at the time, hailing him as a dynamic and energetic leader

Halpin’s current three-year contract with the town will end in June 2018. However, his contract included language anticipating Framingham’s potential switch from a town to a city, leaving it up to selectmen to decide how the town manager’s departure would be addressed.

“Should the duties/responsibilities of the Town Manager change due to a change in government structure,” the original contract reads, “both parties agree to meet and discuss reasonable modifications to the terms of this agreement. Any changes must be satisfactory to the Board of Selectmen.”

Selectmen did not discuss the contract during Tuesday’s public meeting.

Looking forward to next year, Halpin said he will continue to work with staff to prepare for a new city administration to take office.

"I think this is a tremendous community," Halpin said. "I look forward to continuing to work hard to play a role over this coming five, six months ... ."

Material by former Daily News staff writer Danielle Ameden was used in this report. Jim Haddadin can be reached at 617-863-7144 or jhaddadin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JimHaddadin

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